How to Stop the Workplace Bully

James McDonald was quoted on Hotel News Now on December 12, 2014. The article “How to Stop the Workplace Bully” addressed how to stop bullying in the workplace.

James was quoted on the challenges of dealing with bullying in the workplace.

According to James, one challenge in dealing with bullying is that, although repugnant, bullying itself is not illegal. He noted, however, that “if the bullying is tied to some protected category under the anti-discrimination laws, such as national origin or sexual orientation, then an employer could be liable if the bully was a manager or the employer knew or should have known about co-worker bullying.”

James sees a distinction in behavior such as “rivalries, competition, conflict, politics, criticism and gossip,” which by themselves don’t amount to bullying and are commonplace; bullying behavior is more serious.

“On one end of the spectrum is bullying that violates employer policies against discrimination, harassment, or workplace violence or threats”—conduct that James advises employers to document and take disciplinary action against.

At the opposite end of the spectrum lies “a range of unpleasant experiences that may be characterized by the recipient as bullying even when they have a legitimate justification.” James cited actions such as managers reprimanding a subordinate, even including warnings of termination if performance does not improve, as falling into this category while he said that the mid-range of uncivil behavior consists of “supervisory management styles that depend too heavily on harsh criticism or intimidation but which do not violate company policy.”

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